Five Hundred years of history in 4 hours? Nope. Not even going to try! (Agra day 2 by Jayesh)

It is not possible to explore or experience hundreds of years of compiled history in a few hours, or a day, or a week or a year. To try to do so would be inviting sorrow and frustration. I like neither, so I focused on the moment. We had the morning to explore the Red Fort of Agra.

Here's the thing: I like the fantasy genre, including role playing games, computer games, books and... if I try my hand at cosplay I won't comment here. I spent years drawing forts and fortifications on graph paper for my characters to explore, but the Red Fort of Agra was better than anything I could dream up! High walls? Check. Moat? Check (it was filled with crocodiles in the fort's prime!) Draw bridge? Check. Monkeys climbing the walls like spies? Wait, what? ...yeah those are there (note to self for next campaign: money spies climbing walls.)

We only were able to scratch the surface, of course. Many areas were closed to the public, and we simply didn't have time to explore all the areas open to the public. We saw imposing gates, vast gardens, amazing courtyards and the fabled mirrored hall, the "Sheesh Mahal." It is said that a king was so infatuated with a dancer that he made the room so he could see her everywhere! Spicy!

The Sheesh Mahal was closed so we could only look inside. I set my camera on "low light" mode and was able to get a little interesting video!

My father, my son and I spent time pondering the structures, reading and learning form the signs and considering the religious symbols that are integral parts of the construction. Josh noticed that one significant door had three six pointed stars, one above the other two, each with a circle inscribed inside. In Judaism these six pointed stars are referred to the "Star of David" but this fort was created by Shah Jahan, a Muslim. In Islamic culture this six pointed star is referred to as the "Seal of Solomon." I do wonder if the three stars are in veneration of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? We also saw Hindu symbols, like the lotus and the swastika; in Sanskrit Swas-Tika is two words that means "long life." Personally, I prefer to think if it as the promise of eternal life.

The twins were simply exhausted, and opted out of the Red Fort tour. My grandfather was unhappy that they did, but frankly I'd rather they articulate their needs and not be feeling miserable. The Red Fort has stood for hundreds of years, and will be there if they come back in another decade or two. 

After that little adventure, we picked up the well rested twins and headed for the legendary ghost town of Fatehpor Sikri, the capitol of Emperor Akbar, and setting of some of the bedtime stories of Akbar and Birbal. 

Fatehpor Sikrri is an impressively preserved ancient capitol city. The fortification walls are HUGE. Inside the walls are the ruins of a medieval marketplace with individual shops clearly visible but not much else. What really shocked me was that, like at the Taj Mahal, the whole area was comodified and commercialized. I think the sad reality is that it is necessary to help keep these sites maintained, but I didn't find the addition of market stalls and an army of government approved guides pleasurable or an improvement to the situation. To be fair, the last time I was there was about 4 decades ago, so a lot has changed, especially the attendance at historic sites. 

We did spend time searching for a rumored human size chess board, but we really don't think it is there. There is the famous human sized parchisi board, and given the ancient origin of the game as well it's derivatives, we thought it would be a bit of a 'flex' to play "Trouble," a parchisi variant with the famous Pop-O-Matic bubble, at that location with humans as pawns. As I was playing the role of one of the pawns, a passer-by informed me that by doing that I was one of the "Queens." You know, I'm OK with that. 

We also found the structure known as Birbal's Mansion and enacted a little skit, portraying an Akbar and Birbal interaction. I'll upload it. It needs a bit of editing, though. 

Much to the chagrin of a hopeful and friendly, but persistent, guide, we did not hire a guide. While we certainly missed out on a lot of the guide's specialized knowledge, it was important to us to be able to explore. Maybe I'll want a history lesson on a future visit. We did not get to the grand gate or the "deer tower" this visit, but in the heat and with somewhat limited time, we were satisfied with the experience.

One thing I'd like to note, it looks like the steps up the ramparts to the main fortification are not chained. I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to give it a try, but I wouldn't mind investigating a little closer. I'd probably get yelled at by locals, but I never know until I know.

Also of note on the cuteness factor, Ajoba (my dad) picked up a stow-away: a little praying mantis! Cute little guy! 

On the road again, we stopped for a lovely byte to eat in a roadside cafe, where while waiting the Volren picked out a skirt as a gift. The bathrooms were outside and they had an attendant, a young guy named Sunil. He explained that he was growing mustard, potatoes and onions. He then went on to politely and cautiously ask for me to take a selfie with him. He's a good guy, and here's his pic!

Last adventure was a traffic jam. In retrospect, it may have been related to the Indian paratroopers, because Prime Minister Modi was visiting the area and set up a processional, blocking streets. Traffic was backed up for miles, slowing us down an hour and a half. We got out for a bit and watched the Prime Minister on the television at a roadside cafe until the power went out. My dad also found a neem tree and snacked on the leaves. He wasn't hungry, just nostalgic. We don't grown 'neem' in the United States, so it has been a long time for him. 

Two other thoughts: 

First is geology. What is going on here in Rajastan? the more I learn about it the less I understand. There are fields and plains for miles and then mountains just jut up out of the earth, often topped with ha castle. My gut feeling is these are the extinct cores of a long-dormant chain of volcanoes, but our driver insists there are no volcanoes locally. I suppose they could be the results of faults fracturing and pushing up the earth. 

The second is an importing business. We passed dozens of stone carving businesses. They carve small things, but also large things, like temples and octangle gazeboes, I wonder if there would be a market, or a profit margin after the expense of importing such a large stone structure? I'll keep thinking about it.